- Email: [email protected]
The NBI control system for the TJ-II
Fusion Engineering and Design 81 (2006) 1813–1816
The NBI control system for the TJ-II R. Carrasco ∗ , M. Liniers, L. Pacios, A. De la Pe˜na, F. Lapayese, G. Wolfers, J. Alonso, G. Marcon, C. Fuentes Asociaci´on EURATOM-CIEMAT para Fusi´on, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid, Spain Available online 6 June 2006
Abstract A description of the control system software and hardware architecture for the TJ-II Neutral Beam Injectors is given. The platform chosen is VMEbus, with controller boards running OS9 (Microware) real-time operating system. Three VME crates house several boards for performing analogue signal acquisition, signal conditioning, analogue voltage generation, digital input detection and digital output generation. A specific timing system for the injectors has been developed. At present, a user interface for monitoring and programming purposes is provided by html pages, using a web server running under the OS9 operating system. A few subsystems are now using a graphical user interface built using the Java programming language. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Control systems; Real-time; OS9; VME; Neutral Beam Injectors
1. Introduction TJ-II is a highly flexible medium size helical axis stellarator with four periods, 1.5 m major radius and nominal 1 T magnetic field [1]. Plasma heating is achieved by means of Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) and Neutral Beam Injection (NBI). TJ-II is the first heliac experiment that makes use of NBI. The Neutral Beam Injection system at TJ-II consists of two tangential injectors in the Co-Counter configuration [2]. The injectors and ion sources are a loan from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, through
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 91 346 66 44; fax: +34 91 346 61 24. E-mail address: [email protected] (R. Carrasco).
0920-3796/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.fusengdes.2006.04.014
a collaboration contract with the US Department of Energy. Injector 1 is fully commissioned and operative. We have obtained beams of 30 keV, 50 A at the ion source. Injector 2 is presently undergoing installation. The elements of the injectors are spatially distributed in several rooms: Torus Hall (injectors), high voltage equipment vault (capacitor banks, crowbar systems, accel modulator desk, source tables and decel supplies), low voltage equipment (deflecting magnets and intermediate transformers), high voltage power supplies at TJ-II pulsed generator building and the NBI control room [2]. A flexible, scalable and distributed control system has been developed to ensure the operation and integration of the NBI and associated facilities. Several subsystems have to be managed: secondary vacuum,
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R. Carrasco et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 81 (2006) 1813–1816
titanium gettering pumps, cooling, high power, calorimeter, gimbal and bending magnet. Furthermore, a dedicated timing system has been developed, since TJ-II timing system does not fulfil the conditions required to operate between TJ-II plasma pulses. The NBI control system has been designed in accordance with a set of ideas expounded by Mart´ınez-Laso et al. [3]: the injectors will be operated independently and with maximum flexibility, a high level of interaction with TJ-II central control system, peripheral systems should be commanded and monitored from the NBI control system, and the user interface should be web-based.
2. Hardware architecture VMEbus is the chosen platform due to compatibility with the TJ-II control system [4], the wide range of suppliers and because of it being a standard in the busmarket. The control system for the Neutral Beam Injectors is an integrated computerized system, used for control,
monitoring, technical data acquisition and data analysis. The VME CPU boards used are MEN A9 with a Motorola 68040/25 MHz processor, running the OS9 (Microware) real-time operating system. There are several modules performing input/output signal processing. These are the VMIVME 3113A for analogue signal acquisition, VMIVME 3413 for signal conditioning, VMIVME 2540 for trigger, timing generation and counting, VMIVME 4140 for analogue voltage generation, VMIVME 1182 for digital inputs and VMIVME 2120 for digital outputs. The hardware architecture is shown in Fig. 1. Three VME crates in the NBI control room and the Torus Hall are the base of the control system. All the links (dedicated lines, Ethernet, serial connections, etc.) between the NBI control room and the Torus Hall have to be optical ones. This is a requirement for safety, because of the high voltage and currents during the device operation (plasma in TJ-II or NBI pulses). The high voltage power supply and water cooling supply have their own control systems. Communication between them and the NBI control system is carried out by means of Ethernet and dedicated lines.
Fig. 1. Hardware architecture.
R. Carrasco et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 81 (2006) 1813–1816
There is a central VME in the NBI control room. It provides a specific timing system for the injectors. Programmable timing signals synchronize the NBI pulse with the TJ-II shot. This crate controls some aspects of the high voltage power system (decel, filaments and power switches) and the safety system. Some interlocks can interrupt the operation by acting on the timing system (the signals to arc, accel or decel are interrupted), or shutting down the high voltage. There are dedicated optical lines (digital and analogue inputs) from the Torus Hall (injector status, plasma in TJ-II, safety areas, etc.) and from HV power system (currents, voltages, etc.). The water cooling system can be handled from this central VME crate, too. In the Torus Hall, near the injectors, there are two VME crates. They manage the cooling, vacuum, titanium pumps, calorimeter, gimbal and bending magnet. It provides interlock signals to the central VME crate, by processing data from these subsystems.
3. Software OS9 (Microware) real-time operating system is running in each VME crate. Software has been programmed in C language (Ultra C compiler V1.3), using the real-time and multitasking features of OS9. Control tasks share information through data modules. These are memory areas accessible by multiple processes. Semaphores are used to assure data integrity. OS9 signals are used to synchronize the programs. Fig. 2 shows the general scheme for the control system software. Input and Output tasks breed the input and output data modules, and update, when necessary, the VMIC boards. CGI programs, executed by the user, modify the different modules (actions to realize, system status, etc.) and awake, with OS9 signals, the proper task. The new task, i.e. the process that realizes an action (open a valve, move the calorimeter, etc.), reads the input and output modules, as well as the system status, and modifies the output data module. Then, it signals the Output task to update output boards. Several processes running concurrently perform different tasks. Actions deals with particular actions the system has to perform. Protections is a program that monitors the conditions of the active actions. Alarms checks that everything is well, according to the system status. When a fast response is needed, an interrupt
1815
Fig. 2. Software scheme.
routine updates output boards and data modules as necessary. There are other tasks in the system: a Start program creates the data modules, installs the interrupt routine and starts the other processes, and a Process Controller controls the automated actions that have to be done when system status changes.
4. Timing The TJ-II central control provides absolute timing references with a variable time resolution ranging from 500 ns to 1 ms [5]. Thus, a synchronization method is given to all technical and diagnostics subsystems during TJ-II normal operation. However, NBI needs to synchronize operations between TJ-II plasma pulses, for conditioning purposes. Then, the timing system from TJ-II central control is not enough and an additional timing system is needed. Five time programmable signals for injectors are needed: high voltage in arc, accel and decel, gas in the ion source and gas in the neutralizer (Fig. 3 shows typical time signals). Synchronization with different events is provided. When a NBI shot is injected, the TJ-II control system sends the timing signal for plasma currents in the TJ-II coils. This unleashes the timing for the power supply, neutralizer and gas in the central VME crate. When NBI conditioning is needed, the synchronizing signal
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R. Carrasco et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 81 (2006) 1813–1816
server (WN V1.16.7 OS9 version) launches some CGI programs that allow access to all subsystems, and provide information about the status of all them. The user can access different subsystems from the same computer in the NBI control room. The control html pages only can be accessed from computers in the NBI Ethernet network. That web user interface is really useful and simple for static data display and parameter setting, though, for dynamical monitoring of processes, the use of panels based on Java language is a useful feature. Nowadays, a few subsystems are using a graphical interface build with Java, as the titanium pumps subsystem, the vacuum system and a basic panel for the NBI control system. Fig. 3. Timing signals for NBI.
6. Conclusion A control system for the TJ-II Neutral Beam Injectors has been developed, including a specific timing system, using VMEbus as the platform and OS9 as the real-time operating system. It is fully operative for Injector 1, whilst it is ready for Injector 2. A user interface using html pages provides monitoring and programming resources. A new interface is being developed in Java. Fig. 4. Software scheme for timing.
comes from the TJ-II power supply when there is a high voltage. Timing can be triggered manually too. The software scheme is similar to that explained above for software in the NBI control system. Fig. 4 shows the programming layout for timing system. The Timing Start program installs the interruption routines and creates the data modules, where the operational parameters are stored, and it remains running in the background. The Timing Main Task manages the general operation, i.e. channel set-up, parameter checking and operation mode.
5. User interface The user interface consists of a set of hierarchical html pages for data display or parameter setting. A web
References [1] C. Alejaldre, TJ-I project: a flexible heliac stellarator, Fusion Technol. 17 (1990) 131. [2] M. Liniers, J. Alonso, L. Mart´ınez Laso, J. Doncel, A. Garc´ıa, M. Medrano, et al., Neutral beam injection system for TJ-II, Fusion Technol. 1 (1998) 307. [3] L. Mart´ınez Laso, M. Liniers, J. Alonso, J. Botija, A. Garc´ıa, M. Medrano, TJ-II neutral beam injectors control and data acquisition, Fusion Eng. Des. 56–57 (2001) 477–480. [4] L. Pacios, M. Blaumoser, A. de la Pe˜na, R. Carrasco, I. Labrador, et al., Control system for the Spanish stellarator TJ-II, Fusion Technol. 1 (1994) 687–690. [5] L. Pacios, A. de la Pe˜na, I. Labrador, R. Carrasco, F. Lapayese, A versatile timing system based on OS9 for the Spanish stellarator TJ-II, Fusion Eng. Des. 2 (1995) 1074–1077.
The NBI control system for the TJ-II R. Carrasco ∗ , M. Liniers, L. Pacios, A. De la Pe˜na, F. Lapayese, G. Wolfers, J. Alonso, G. Marcon, C. Fuentes Asociaci´on EURATOM-CIEMAT para Fusi´on, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid, Spain Available online 6 June 2006
Abstract A description of the control system software and hardware architecture for the TJ-II Neutral Beam Injectors is given. The platform chosen is VMEbus, with controller boards running OS9 (Microware) real-time operating system. Three VME crates house several boards for performing analogue signal acquisition, signal conditioning, analogue voltage generation, digital input detection and digital output generation. A specific timing system for the injectors has been developed. At present, a user interface for monitoring and programming purposes is provided by html pages, using a web server running under the OS9 operating system. A few subsystems are now using a graphical user interface built using the Java programming language. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Control systems; Real-time; OS9; VME; Neutral Beam Injectors
1. Introduction TJ-II is a highly flexible medium size helical axis stellarator with four periods, 1.5 m major radius and nominal 1 T magnetic field [1]. Plasma heating is achieved by means of Electron Cyclotron Heating (ECH) and Neutral Beam Injection (NBI). TJ-II is the first heliac experiment that makes use of NBI. The Neutral Beam Injection system at TJ-II consists of two tangential injectors in the Co-Counter configuration [2]. The injectors and ion sources are a loan from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, through
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 91 346 66 44; fax: +34 91 346 61 24. E-mail address: [email protected] (R. Carrasco).
0920-3796/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.fusengdes.2006.04.014
a collaboration contract with the US Department of Energy. Injector 1 is fully commissioned and operative. We have obtained beams of 30 keV, 50 A at the ion source. Injector 2 is presently undergoing installation. The elements of the injectors are spatially distributed in several rooms: Torus Hall (injectors), high voltage equipment vault (capacitor banks, crowbar systems, accel modulator desk, source tables and decel supplies), low voltage equipment (deflecting magnets and intermediate transformers), high voltage power supplies at TJ-II pulsed generator building and the NBI control room [2]. A flexible, scalable and distributed control system has been developed to ensure the operation and integration of the NBI and associated facilities. Several subsystems have to be managed: secondary vacuum,
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R. Carrasco et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 81 (2006) 1813–1816
titanium gettering pumps, cooling, high power, calorimeter, gimbal and bending magnet. Furthermore, a dedicated timing system has been developed, since TJ-II timing system does not fulfil the conditions required to operate between TJ-II plasma pulses. The NBI control system has been designed in accordance with a set of ideas expounded by Mart´ınez-Laso et al. [3]: the injectors will be operated independently and with maximum flexibility, a high level of interaction with TJ-II central control system, peripheral systems should be commanded and monitored from the NBI control system, and the user interface should be web-based.
2. Hardware architecture VMEbus is the chosen platform due to compatibility with the TJ-II control system [4], the wide range of suppliers and because of it being a standard in the busmarket. The control system for the Neutral Beam Injectors is an integrated computerized system, used for control,
monitoring, technical data acquisition and data analysis. The VME CPU boards used are MEN A9 with a Motorola 68040/25 MHz processor, running the OS9 (Microware) real-time operating system. There are several modules performing input/output signal processing. These are the VMIVME 3113A for analogue signal acquisition, VMIVME 3413 for signal conditioning, VMIVME 2540 for trigger, timing generation and counting, VMIVME 4140 for analogue voltage generation, VMIVME 1182 for digital inputs and VMIVME 2120 for digital outputs. The hardware architecture is shown in Fig. 1. Three VME crates in the NBI control room and the Torus Hall are the base of the control system. All the links (dedicated lines, Ethernet, serial connections, etc.) between the NBI control room and the Torus Hall have to be optical ones. This is a requirement for safety, because of the high voltage and currents during the device operation (plasma in TJ-II or NBI pulses). The high voltage power supply and water cooling supply have their own control systems. Communication between them and the NBI control system is carried out by means of Ethernet and dedicated lines.
Fig. 1. Hardware architecture.
R. Carrasco et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 81 (2006) 1813–1816
There is a central VME in the NBI control room. It provides a specific timing system for the injectors. Programmable timing signals synchronize the NBI pulse with the TJ-II shot. This crate controls some aspects of the high voltage power system (decel, filaments and power switches) and the safety system. Some interlocks can interrupt the operation by acting on the timing system (the signals to arc, accel or decel are interrupted), or shutting down the high voltage. There are dedicated optical lines (digital and analogue inputs) from the Torus Hall (injector status, plasma in TJ-II, safety areas, etc.) and from HV power system (currents, voltages, etc.). The water cooling system can be handled from this central VME crate, too. In the Torus Hall, near the injectors, there are two VME crates. They manage the cooling, vacuum, titanium pumps, calorimeter, gimbal and bending magnet. It provides interlock signals to the central VME crate, by processing data from these subsystems.
3. Software OS9 (Microware) real-time operating system is running in each VME crate. Software has been programmed in C language (Ultra C compiler V1.3), using the real-time and multitasking features of OS9. Control tasks share information through data modules. These are memory areas accessible by multiple processes. Semaphores are used to assure data integrity. OS9 signals are used to synchronize the programs. Fig. 2 shows the general scheme for the control system software. Input and Output tasks breed the input and output data modules, and update, when necessary, the VMIC boards. CGI programs, executed by the user, modify the different modules (actions to realize, system status, etc.) and awake, with OS9 signals, the proper task. The new task, i.e. the process that realizes an action (open a valve, move the calorimeter, etc.), reads the input and output modules, as well as the system status, and modifies the output data module. Then, it signals the Output task to update output boards. Several processes running concurrently perform different tasks. Actions deals with particular actions the system has to perform. Protections is a program that monitors the conditions of the active actions. Alarms checks that everything is well, according to the system status. When a fast response is needed, an interrupt
1815
Fig. 2. Software scheme.
routine updates output boards and data modules as necessary. There are other tasks in the system: a Start program creates the data modules, installs the interrupt routine and starts the other processes, and a Process Controller controls the automated actions that have to be done when system status changes.
4. Timing The TJ-II central control provides absolute timing references with a variable time resolution ranging from 500 ns to 1 ms [5]. Thus, a synchronization method is given to all technical and diagnostics subsystems during TJ-II normal operation. However, NBI needs to synchronize operations between TJ-II plasma pulses, for conditioning purposes. Then, the timing system from TJ-II central control is not enough and an additional timing system is needed. Five time programmable signals for injectors are needed: high voltage in arc, accel and decel, gas in the ion source and gas in the neutralizer (Fig. 3 shows typical time signals). Synchronization with different events is provided. When a NBI shot is injected, the TJ-II control system sends the timing signal for plasma currents in the TJ-II coils. This unleashes the timing for the power supply, neutralizer and gas in the central VME crate. When NBI conditioning is needed, the synchronizing signal
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R. Carrasco et al. / Fusion Engineering and Design 81 (2006) 1813–1816
server (WN V1.16.7 OS9 version) launches some CGI programs that allow access to all subsystems, and provide information about the status of all them. The user can access different subsystems from the same computer in the NBI control room. The control html pages only can be accessed from computers in the NBI Ethernet network. That web user interface is really useful and simple for static data display and parameter setting, though, for dynamical monitoring of processes, the use of panels based on Java language is a useful feature. Nowadays, a few subsystems are using a graphical interface build with Java, as the titanium pumps subsystem, the vacuum system and a basic panel for the NBI control system. Fig. 3. Timing signals for NBI.
6. Conclusion A control system for the TJ-II Neutral Beam Injectors has been developed, including a specific timing system, using VMEbus as the platform and OS9 as the real-time operating system. It is fully operative for Injector 1, whilst it is ready for Injector 2. A user interface using html pages provides monitoring and programming resources. A new interface is being developed in Java. Fig. 4. Software scheme for timing.
comes from the TJ-II power supply when there is a high voltage. Timing can be triggered manually too. The software scheme is similar to that explained above for software in the NBI control system. Fig. 4 shows the programming layout for timing system. The Timing Start program installs the interruption routines and creates the data modules, where the operational parameters are stored, and it remains running in the background. The Timing Main Task manages the general operation, i.e. channel set-up, parameter checking and operation mode.
5. User interface The user interface consists of a set of hierarchical html pages for data display or parameter setting. A web
References [1] C. Alejaldre, TJ-I project: a flexible heliac stellarator, Fusion Technol. 17 (1990) 131. [2] M. Liniers, J. Alonso, L. Mart´ınez Laso, J. Doncel, A. Garc´ıa, M. Medrano, et al., Neutral beam injection system for TJ-II, Fusion Technol. 1 (1998) 307. [3] L. Mart´ınez Laso, M. Liniers, J. Alonso, J. Botija, A. Garc´ıa, M. Medrano, TJ-II neutral beam injectors control and data acquisition, Fusion Eng. Des. 56–57 (2001) 477–480. [4] L. Pacios, M. Blaumoser, A. de la Pe˜na, R. Carrasco, I. Labrador, et al., Control system for the Spanish stellarator TJ-II, Fusion Technol. 1 (1994) 687–690. [5] L. Pacios, A. de la Pe˜na, I. Labrador, R. Carrasco, F. Lapayese, A versatile timing system based on OS9 for the Spanish stellarator TJ-II, Fusion Eng. Des. 2 (1995) 1074–1077.